Heelas of Reading

Heelas (now branded as John Lewis & Partners) is a major department store in Reading in the English county of Berkshire.

Heelas became a major entity in Reading, and in 1937, the John Lewis Partnership entered into takeover discussions with the department store.

Ambitious redevelopment plans were announced in 1975 and a large-scale model of the re-envisaged Heelas was put on display in the shop.

Among its many shops at the time were department stores Debenhams and House of Fraser, thus increasing the level of competition in Reading.

On Sunday 2 September 2001, as part of a wider company rebranding, the store's name was changed from Heelas to John Lewis.

Over the last few years and since Covid struck, John Lewis Reading has encouraged external companies to buy space in its store.

From 9 October 2023 John Lewis Reading will become the first store to have The Floor Room taking over the existing Carpet department.